Turbine seal

Shaft Seals Normally two types of shaft gland seals are in use in different power stations: i) Carbon or ferrobestos segment. ii) Rubber flap type 1 Carbon or Ferrobestos Segment Type The seal segments are housed in the stuffing box. Stuffing box being always in touch with the shaft is sub ected to excessi!e wear and tear. The o!erhauling of the stuffing box becomes necessary when it is obser!ed that consumption of cooling water has considerably increased or excessi!e water in top co!er appears to be coming. "n general maintenance of the seal is re#uired to be done annually. $ Rubber flap type %aintenance of rubber flap type gland seal is comparati!ely simpler and easier. &nly precaution during assembly of rubber gland is ointing of the rubber seal in the proper way. The #uality of rubber used plays a !ery important role for satisfactory performance of the rubber gland. "n one of the recently commissioned power stations rubber gland seal used to fail !ery fre#uently. The cause of fre#uent failure was found to be due to #uality of rubber.

R'NN(R S()* R"N+ The purpose of seal rings or wearing rings in turbine, as they are also called, is to pro!ide a renewable seal or lea-age oint between a turbine runner and its casing. The small clearance between the stationary and rotating rings limits the flow of water from the high pressure areas to low pressure areas of the turbine. )s the clearance increases o!er time, the amount of water flowing through the seal rings increases, decreasing the efficiency of the turbine. )s seal ring clearances increase to $.. percent of the manufacturer/s design clearance, the efficiency can decrease as much as $ percent. "deally, seal rings should last $. years or more. This type of longe!ity is not always possible, but to achie!e the longest life possible, the seal rings are constructed of materials that are resistant to wear and corrosion. 0ear can occur as a result of ca!itations or abrasi!e erosion. )brasi!e erosion caused by silt or other suspended particles in the water is usually not a concern in turbines that recei!e their water from deep reser!oirs, but it can be a problem in pump1turbines or turbines that recei!e their water from a canal or other shallow waterway. Ca!itations erosion is dependent on the amount of head of the unit, the seal ring clearance, and the hydraulic characteristics of the

unit. The occurrence of corrosion will depend on the seal ring material and the #uality of the water. The galling resistance between the rotating and stationary ring materials must also be considered. 'nder normal operating conditions, the rings should ne!er touch. 2owe!er, in some circumstances such as the failure of the turbine guide bearing, failure of a seal ring, or during unit alignment, they can come in contact. "f contact is made between materials that are prone to galling, the rings can be se!erely damaged, and in extreme cases, the rings may sei3e. )nother problem encountered with martensitic stainless steel is its susceptibility o stress corrosion crac-ing when not heat treated properly. Gasket and seals. The seal materials should be compatible for the ser!ice for which they are intended. +as-ets will be needed on flanged oil and water pipe connections, oil tubs, generator air coolers, the pac-ing box, and other similar applications. .1ring material is many times used as a seal on the headco!er and oil tub co!ers. Rod Seals Rod Seals, which guard against external lea-age, are one of the most !ital components of the sealing system. "n recognition of their critical nature.

Seals ha!e been used since ancient times and ha!e e!ol!ed into a wide !ariety of shapes and materials. 4or those who are not familiar with sealing technology, the number of options a!ailable can be confusing. Selecting the most suitable product for a gi!en application can be difficult. Sealing Theory Static vs. Dynamic Sealing (!ery seal, whether static or dynamic, must seal against at least two contacting surfaces. "n static applications, both surfaces are non1mo!ing relati!e to one another. "n dynamic applications at least one surface is in motion relati!e to the other sealing surface5s). 4or example, in a standard hydraulic cylinder, the rod and piston seals would be classified as dynamic seals, while the seal between the bore and the head gland would be considered a static seal. "n both static and dynamic applications, a certain amount of s#uee3e or compression is re#uired upon installation to maintain contact with the sealing surfaces and pre!ent fluid lea-age. 6ynamic applications in particular in!ol!e other !ariables and

re#uire that additional factors be e!aluated to ensure proper system performance. These !ariables are discussed in the following sections. Leakage Control 0hen choosing a sealing system, the desired result is ultimately lea-age control. Seal design and material impro!ements ha!e made it possible not only to ha!e seal combinations that pro!ide 3ero lea-age, but also pro!ide extended life in a !ariety of applications. )side from the seals themsel!es, a thorough understanding of system parameters is necessary to obtain the best results. &ptimal sealing is best achie!ed by ta-ing a systems approach to the seal pac-age rather than considering components indi!idually. "t has been designed specifically to complement one another to create high performance systems. 4or example, pairing a rod seal with a wiper minimi3es fluid lea-age and maximi3es contamination exclusion. Some rod seals are designed with -nife1 trimmed lips to ensure the best possible film brea-ing. This dry rod technology permits the wiper to be extremely aggressi!e, excluding contamination without building up oil lea-age around the wiper. )nother systems approach to effecti!ely control lea-age is to incorporate multiple sealing lips. (!en when appropriate seals are specified, it is still possible to experience lea-age due to factors extending beyond the seals themsel!es. (xamples are hardware considerations li-e surface finish and installation damage, seal storage, chemical wash downs, maintenance and contamination. )dhering to the design recommendations found herein not only for seals, but also for the mating hardware will pro!ide the greatest li-elihood of minimi3ed lea-age. Seal material Thermoplastics (ngineered Resins (ngineered resins such as Nylons, sometimes called hard plastics. These compounds exhibit high tensile and compressi!e strength and are typically used in wear rings for bearing support and in auxiliary de!ices for extrusion resistance. Thermoset (lastomers 7 Rubber 'nli-e thermoplastic elastomers, thermoset elastomers gain their strength from an irre!ersible cross lin-ing process that occurs when the compound is sub ected to pressure and heat. 6uring this process, or 8cure9, special chemical agents within the compound react to the heat and pressure to !ulcani3e the molecules together. &nce cured, thermoset compounds obtain the necessary physical properties needed to function in fluid sealing applications. Reheating thermoset compounds will not cause them to melt as thermoplastics do. Nitrile 5N:R) Nitrile rubber 5N:R) is the general term for acrylonitrile butadiene copolymer. Nitrile compounds offer good resistance to abrasion, extrusion, and compression set. The

acrylonitrile 5)CN) content influences the physical properties of the compound. )s the )CN content increases, oil and sol!ent resistance impro!e, tensile strength, hardness and abrasion resistance increase, while permeability, low temperature flexibility, and resilience decrease.